Tensioning devices



Oct, 14, 1958 R. w. STANTON, JR

' TENSIONING DEVICES Filed Oct. 8, 1954 v 1 w i m a 7/ \nn nQsi Eu \0, v

INVENTOR I RAYWSTANTONJRI" United States Patent TENSIONING DEVICES Ray W. Stanton, Jr., Vestal, N. Y.

Application October 8, 1954, Serial No. 461,144

1 Claim. (Cl. 211119.09)

This invention relates to tensioning devices for clothes lines and other things.

In the use of out-of-doors clothes lines, it is desirable that means shall be provided for preventing sagging of such lines, while nevertheless introducing a somewhat resilient and yielding element, so as to avoid breakage of the clothes line incident to shrinkage occurring during high atmospheric humidity and rainstorms, as well as cushioning strains occurring incident to clothes supported thereby being subjected to sudden gusts of relatively strong wind.

It is important that tensioning devices shall be constructed of materials from which stains are not liable to be produced incident to disintegration such as rusting, corrosion or other action in the presence of humidity, rain, and other atmospheric conditions.

It is also important that any springs provided in such devices shall be so applied that excessive tensions applied thereto will not cause a permanent set or other impairment of the spring, as is likely to result when extension springs are used. 7

It is therefore an important object of this invention to provide a tensioning device which will afford suflicient yield to avoid excessive tension when the clothes line shrinks due to moisture or is subject to sudden sharp stresses incident to the impact of wind, especially when occurring before the garments or other suspended objects have opportunity to swing with the wind.

It is a further object to provide such a device having resiliency such that, when tension relaxes after the line has been shortened, by moisture-shrinking or when it has been subject to load or wind stresses, the effects of such relaxing will be absorbed by the device.

It is another important object to provide a device of form such that its parts may be economically produced (as by the use of castings) from materials having characteristics such as will avoid staining of fabrics suspended by the line, which might result were ferrous or copper substances used.

Other objects include the provision of a simple tensioning device which may be quickly and conveniently applied to either looped lines or single run lines, whether existing or being newly erected, which will be durable, and may be economically produced.

Other objects are in part obvious and in part will be referred to in the ensuing description.

For a better understanding of this invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a looped clothes line incorporating tension devices constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational View, partly in section, of a device embodying this invention, and applied to a braided fabric rope; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of a device similar to that of Fig. 2, but specially suited for use with a flexible IQC metal cable or rope, and having minor deviations from the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1, the looped line, which comprises the upper run 21 and the lower run 23, is supported between the pulleys 25 and 27, which pulleys may be of any suitable well-known type.

The pulley 25 is attached to a building-post 31, as by means of some suitable hook or eye 29.

The tensioning device T is connected between the ends of the clothes line rope in the upper run 21 thereof, in a manner such as shown in Fig. 2.

The pulley 27 is connected to a distant pole, post 'or other support 33; and a second tensioning device T is shown interposed between the pulley 27 and said post 33.

It should be understood that one or more tensioning devices embodying this invention may be connected (as in the case of the device T) in one of the runs of a looped line; preferably the upper run. Alternatively or supplementally, such a device may be utilized in a single run line, as illustratively indicated in the instance of the device T which is included in such a line between the pulley 27 and the post 33.

It will be understood that, for exceptionally long lines or where sudden stresses are most likely to be experienced, it is likely to be found advantageous to use tensioning devices in both of such situations.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 2, a comparatively long heavy-duty compression spring 41 is enclosed in a cylinder 43; said cylinder having a perforate wall 45 at one end thereof; the opening 47 through said wall being of size suited for freely passing an intended clothes line cord or rope 49.

An end of said spring is seated against said wall, and said spring has an opening therethrough for permitting an intended rope to pass from said seated end to a reduced diameter portion 53 at the end of said spring farthest from said wall, where such rope may be secured against withdrawal by formation of a knot 51 therein, which knot will rest against said reduced diameter portion 53.

Although said spring 41 is fully enclosed in said cylinder 43, it is desirable that said spring shall not be of material which, as a consequence of disintegration (particularly in the presence of moisture or water), might produce a liquid or other substance which would stain fabric.

If said spring is of steel, it is likely to be desirable that it shall have a coating of chromium or other rust-resisting material.

Because said spring 41 is fully enclosed in the cylinder 43, there is little likelihood that any extensive amount of water will reach said spring. In fact, any moisture which may enter through the opening 47, in humid or rainy weather, is likely to be dried out under most local climatic conditions before there is any extensive accumulation. However, inasmuch as the rope 49 moves in and out of said cylinder, there is always a possibility that a stained portion of said rope will be exposed at a time when fabric supported by the line 23 is swung by the wind over the device T, so that such fabric might become stained from contact with said rope.

It should also be observed that the outside diameter of the spring 41 should be such that said spring may at all times move freely within the cylinder 43, even when said spring has been subjected to maximum compression.

As shown in Fig. 3, a washer 55 may be inserted between the knot 51 and the end portion 53 of the spring 41. The use of such a washer is particularly desirable, and is likely to be essential for success, if a small diameter wire rope 49' is utilized in place of the larger braided fabric rope 49 shown in Fig. 2.

Again referring to Fig. 2, a piece 61 is secured to the 3 otherwise open end of the cylinder 43, as by threaded engagement therewith; a split cotter pin 63 being here shown as passing through the piece 61 and the walls of the cylinder 43, for preventing relative rotation such as might release said piece from said cylinder.

It should be understood that the threaded connection between the cylinder 43 and the piece 61 may be dispensed with, and a part such as the cotter 63 or the bolt 65 (of Fig. 3) exclusively relied upon for retaining said piece in the otherwise open end of said cylinder.

In Fig. 3, the bolt 65 is shown as taking the place of the cotter pin 63.

The piece 61 comprises an eye portion 67, for receiving an end of the rope 49 or the rope 49', as the case may be.

In Fig. 2, an end of the rope 49 is secured to the eye portion 67 by means of the knot 57, while in Fig. 3, the rope 49' is bent back upon itself and is fastened by means of the clamp 71.

In order that staining of fabric supported by the clothes line may be avoided, all exposed parts of the device should be formed from material of a character such that consequences of disintegration, particularly in the presence of moisture, will not produce a liquid or other substance which would stain fabric.

In this connection, it should be noted that, as shown in Fig. 1, not only would the fabric 73 there shown be subject to stain by rust or corrosion dispersed in water which might drip thereon from the device T, but wind will, from time to time, cause such a piece of fabric to be swung upwardly against the device T and, at times, become wrapped around it.

It has been found that forming of the cylinder 43 and the projecting portion of the piece 61 from a suitable aluminum composition avoids staining of fabrics under such conditions. It is therefore an important feature of this invention to make these parts of such form that they may be economically made from such a composition, by casting or other process. For like reasons, it is desirable that cotter pins 63 and bolts 65 should be of a material having corresponding characteristics.

When installing a tensioning device constructed in accordance with this invention, the piece 6.1 should be detached from the cylinder 43, and an end of the rope 49 should be introduced through the opening 4-7, and thence through the spring 41, and a suitable knot formed therein; such, for example, as the knot 51 of Fig. 2 or the knot 51 of Fig. 3.

The piece 61 should then be inserted in the cylinder and there secured, as by the cotter pin 63 or by the bolt 65.

The other rope-end should be secured to the eye portion 67, as by the knot 57 of Fig. 2 or the clamp 71 of Fig. 3.

When installing a device which is constructed in accordance with this invention in a situation such as that of the device T shown in Fig. l, the rope should be drawn reasonably taut before the knot 57 is formed therein or the clamp 71 is applied thereto.

Preferably, in the instance of a fabric rope, the rope should be dry when the device is installed. If the rope is in a seriously moisture-resultant shrunken condition at such a time, it will be desirable to avoid drawing it very taut.

After the tensioning device has been installed, the lower rope run 23 should be drawn toward the user until the tensioning device T is at the far end of the upper run 21. The clothing or other articles then may be attached to the lower run 23, and this run moved away from the user in the ordinary manner until it is filled. At which time, the device T will be at the end of the upper run nearest the user.

Due to the use of a compression rather than an extension spring, it is evident that such spring will not be injured as a result of any excessive line tension.

As previously indicated, two or more devices constructed in accordance with this invention can be applied to a given clothes line, either by placing such devices in close tandem relationship in the upper run of the line (as might be advantageous in the instance of a very long line which is subject to extensive shrinking and lengthening) or two such devices may be installed as indicated in Fig. l; in which the device T will first yield to line tension and will resist after a certain degree of such yielding, when further tension will cause yielding of the device T.

It will be evident that various changes of the form and arrangement of parts shown by the accompanying draw ing, and hereinbefore described in detail, may be made without departing from this invention, as defined by the annexed claim.

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

A line tensioning arrangement comprising in combination, a length of line reaved through two pulleys, said line having its ends connected to opposite ends of a first tensioning device to form a closed loop, one of said two pulleys being connected to a first support, the other of said pulleys being connected through a second tensioning device to a second support, each of said tensioning devices comprising a one piece cylinder having a closed end and an opposite open end, the cylinder closed end being centrally provided with a 'bore forming a passageway of a diameter slightly in excess of the diameter of said line, a

cap detachably secured to and closing said open end of said cylinder, an eye integrally formed with the outer side of said cap, a compression coil spring within said cylinder having one end seated on said closed end of said cylinder and its other end being free and terminating short of said cap at said open end of said cylinder, all of the convolutes forming said spring being of a diameter only slightly less than the internal diameter of said cylinder with the exception of the last convolute forming said free end of said spring, the internal diameter of said last convolute being only slightly greater than the diameter of said line, said line having one of its ends secured to said eye and the other end threaded through said bore and said coil spring and secured to said free end of said coil spring.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 871,282 Krueger Nov. 19, 1907 986,339 Young Mar. 7, 1911 1,208,430 Wigle Dec. 12, 1916 1,291,029 Lamont Jan. 14, 1919 1,449,346 Pagel Mar. 20, 1923 1,695,454 Coyne Dec. 18, 1928 1,950,882 Gianini Mar. 13, 1934 

